The research and evaluation for each property should be documented in a report. The report should contain sufficient information to understand the property and provide a record of the evaluation process and articulate the results of the evaluation.

The documentation will be organized to provide an understanding of the property and will include:

  • a summary of the research and the manner in which it was undertaken to inform an understanding of the property
  • an analysis of this understanding of the property against the criteria to determine whether the property has cultural heritage value or interest and its conclusions
  • a chronological record of any changes over time to the use or design of the property
  • maps, illustrations, photographs and drawings, as required, to illustrate the research and evaluation
  • a draft Statement of Cultural Heritage Value and draft description of heritage attributes when it is found that a property has cultural heritage value or interest (or a rationale if a property is found not to have cultural heritage value or interest or does not have physical attributes to support the cultural heritage value or interest)

For further information on preparing a Statement of Cultural Heritage Value refer to Section 4.2 of the Designating Heritage Properties Guide.

Example of a written account of the research and evaluation: outline

Executive summary (1-2 page maximum)

This section is the summary of the evaluation. It describes the arguments for or against the identification of a property as a heritage property and recommendations for its protection.

1. Introduction

This section sets out the context for the report and provides a brief overview of how and what research was undertaken and who was engaged and/or consulted in the process.

2. Description of the property

This section provides an overview of the location of the property and a description of its type (e.g., a farm, a mine site, a transportation route, park, etc.) along with a description of the primary features, buildings and/or structures on the property. The description also includes any current heritage recognitions (e.g., included on the municipal register, national historical site, etc.) and whether the property is considered a single property, district or part thereof, or a landscape.

3. Research

This section describes what type of research was undertaken for the property. It records the findings of the research in a logical and chronological order and uses maps, photographs, illustrations, etc. to augment the information. It considers the results of the community input, comparative studies, and any archaeological reports or the need to identify any archaeological potential. This section identifies in detail the findings and summarizes those findings in reference to the value and attributes identified for the property and the themes and sub-themes as they relate to the municipality’s historic context.

4. Community engagement

This section outlines what, when and how community engagement was undertaken as part of the research methodology for the property. It also summarizes the input received and how that input was considered as part of the evaluation.

5. Evaluation

This section describes how the criteria in paragraphs 1 to 9 of subsection 1(2) of Ontario Regulation 9/06 were applied to determine the property’s cultural heritage value or interest, if any. It presents a rationale supporting why each criterion was met or not met, and how heritage attributes were identified.

6. Conclusions

The conclusion summarizes whether the information and evaluation against the criteria was sufficient to determine cultural heritage value or interest for the property.

7. Draft Statement of Cultural Heritage Value

This section, when required, provides a description of the property and a written summary of the cultural heritage value of the property. It describes the heritage attributes and explains how each one supports the cultural heritage value of the heritage property.

Resources and further information

For more information on designating heritage properties, the Ontario Heritage Act and conserving your community heritage, please see our Tools and Resources page.

Acknowledgements

Thanks to the many members of Ontario’s heritage community who helped with the development and review of this guide. The ongoing assistance, thoughtful comments and advice to the ministry are very much appreciated. In particular, we would like to recognize our municipal colleagues as well as our colleagues at the Ontario Heritage Trust and the Ministries of Municipal Affairs and Housing and Indigenous Affairs and First Nations Economic Reconciliation for their contributions.